Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
Cream cheese swirl brownies made with rich and fudgy brownies swirled with creamy vanilla cheesecake.
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Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
- 8 inch baking pan
Ingredients
Cheesecake Layer
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk (save the extra white for another use)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Brownie Layer
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee (optional)
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 325 F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. (Baking the cheesecake brownies in the lower position will prevent browning the top of the cheesecake as it bakes.)
- Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Cheesecake Layer
- In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the sugar, egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Set aside until needed.
Brownie Layer
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sugar over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, cook for two minutes. Remove from the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla until melted and shiny; the mixture will be grainy. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture comes together into a smooth batter.
- In a bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, salt and espresso powder. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until no dry streaks remain. The batter will be thick but spreadable.
Assemble & Bake
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the brownie batter, and spread the rest of the brownie batter into the prepared pan.Dollop the brownie batter with the cheesecake, then dollop the reserved 1/2 cup of brownie batter around the cheesecake.Use a toothpick or sharp knife to swirl it all together.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes, just until puffed and mostly set with a slight wobble. You don't want to over-bake these, or the cheesecake will brown and dry out.
- Cool completely (at least 4 hours) before cutting into squares.
- To cut neat squares, lift the cooled brownies out of the pan by the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the brownies, wiping the knife clean in between each cut.
Notes
Leftover brownies should be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Let them warm up to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.
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